Pakistan has announced the closure of specific portions of Karachi and Lahore airspace for a limited time each day during May, citing security reasons, news agency PTI, attributing it to a media report, said on Thursday.
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between the two nations following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district, which killed 26 civilians, on April 22.
Reports also said that Islamabad has claimed it has credible evidence that India is preparing to launch military action within the next 24 to 36 hours.
“The restricted airspace will be closed daily from 4:00 am to 8:00 am local time between May 1 and May 31,” Express Tribune said, quoting an official notice.
Authorities confirmed that air traffic in and out of major airports such as Jinnah International in Karachi will continue with minimal adjustments.
Flights to and from Gilgit, Skardu cancelled
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the closure will not significantly disrupt commercial flight operations, as aircraft will be rerouted via alternative flight paths during the restricted hours, it said.
On April 30, officials also said that all flights scheduled to operate to an from Gilgit and Skardu have been cancelled for security reasons. The Express Tribune report also said that the air traffic control authorities had issued new directives to monitor all flight movements, including foreign airlines transiting through Pakistani airspace.
Citing the flight schedule, Urdu daily Jang reported that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelled two flights each from Karachi and Lahore to Skardu, according to a PTI report.
Two flights from Islamabad to Skardu and four flights from Islamabad to Gilgit have also been cancelled, the paper said, quoting aviation sources.
Strict monitoring of flights
The report also said that controllers have been directed to demand air defence clearance numbers from pilots of any suspicious aircraft prior to departure. No aircraft will be cleared without proper documentation and identification, the Express Tribue said.
According to aviation sources, strict monitoring has begun of all foreign airlines operating flights that either transit through or originate from Indian airspace, the report added.
